Teen Titans: The Island of Doctor Maniaca
by secondchild02
Summary: sequel to Robin Reborn On a remote island the HIVE are up to something dispicable and it involves a former Titan and what connection does Robin have to a mysterious professorREACTIVATED, WILL UPDTAE SOON
1. An impossible chance encounter

Teen Titans; the island of doctor maniaca

Chapter one; An impossible chance encounter

'Damn.' Raven ran across the quad 'Damn' she rounded a corner and plunged through a crowd of people talking by the water fountain 'I never should've gone out last night'. Her head was pounding and her mouth dry as she kept running through the vaulted halls and across the wide flag stoned squares of Gotham City University. 'I was too used to flying everywhere, I never used to run anywhere, that was Robin's thing'.

She was halfway through her first year studying psychology here in Gotham and was finding it a little difficult to adjust to civilian life. Rule number one; no powers. She couldn't risk anyone finding out who she really was so any bouts of levitation or telekinesis would sure to be tip off. Rule number two; look different. She had so far dyed her hair black and had taken to wearing pull on hats, she only ever wore dark coloured jeans and tops but , cause old habits died hard, still wore a great blue coat. She had found it in a second hand shop and it was a size to big so it scraped the ground as she walked but it was well made of thick material so it was perfect for the dark, damp Gotham city weather. And rule number three; Raven is no more, so on her student id her name was ;"Rachel Roth". It was working so far. A few people had remarked that she looked similar to one of the Teen Titans but she always replied with a sarcastic smile that she was way prettier than that Starfire bimbo.

But Raven missed Starfire, even if she would never dare admit it even to herself. She missed all of the Titans but for now they were on hiatus until things calmed down. She knew that she was somewhere here in Gotham too but where she didn't know. She wouldn't be hard to locate, if she ever bothered to look for her. A six foot, orange skinned, red head would kinda stick out.

But now she was late for class, she had to make this lecture or she would fail her coursework for certain, today the lecture was on obsessive personalities. Not that she really needed to attend, living with Robin had taught her all about obsessive personalities, but it counted towards points the affected your grade. Raven had written powerful spells and psychically duelled with demonic entities but understanding the grading system here at GCU was beyond her.

Finally climbing the last staircase to where she needed to be with her thighs and lungs burning, her head pounding and a terrible wave of nausea crashing down upon her as she lurched through the back door to her lecture. Slipping into a seat beside her friend Valerie, Raven took the bottle of water the young girl offered and guzzled half of it in one go. "I told you not to drink tequila, Rach' " Valerie said handing her fragile friend a half bar of chocolate "you know it doesn't agree with you". Raven lifted her head up out her hands and made a face at Valerie. Valerie was Raven's flatmate and best friend here at GCU and so far was the only person who refused to believe that Raven, or Rachel, looked anything like a certain teenage superhero. Valerie looked like how every girl wants to look; she was tall, athletic and had a naturally perfect complexion than negated make up in the slightest. She was unfortunately cursed with a need to be a Goth and endeavoured to look like Raven constantly. Everyday she piled on pale make up and dark eyeliner and dressed in bizarre combinations of old fashioned dresses she dyed black and hoodies or workshirts that were branded with the name of some obscure punk band or metal group. Today she had a black Slipknot workshirt on over a traditional fifties style dress that came down to the ankle where a pair of enormous steel capped boots protruded . The dress was badly dyed and Raven could still make out the floral pattern it bore originally. Valerie caught Raven looking at her apparel "You like it? Did it myself" she asked. Raven slumped back in her chair and looked blankly ahead "Wonderful Val' ".

The remainder of the lecture washed over her as she struggled to take it all in. Beside her Valerie had plugged in her earphones from her iPod and was reading a magazine article about Gotham City's "Mystery Man of the Year". A full page picture of a familiar face, well, a familiar mask grinned at her as the winner of this years dubious honour was; Robin, the Boy Wonder. With a groan she went back to taking notes.

The stately Wayne Manor sat perched atop a hill on the outskirts of Gotham City. An enormous dark and sombre building that often had the feeling of being more like a tomb than a home. In truth the house was rarely occupied by any of the four people who lived there with only one of them ever spending much time in it's gloomy chambers. This person was Starfire. Often she would sit in a long forgotten study with the fire lit in the grate and read, or write in her diary but often just sitting watching the television with the Manor's only other full time occupant, a great black dog named Ace. She had a natural affinity with Ace as neither of them tended to be included in the activities that happened below the manor. She was still a little afraid of the main occupant of the house, Bruce Wayne, a man she had seen often on the television but always as a smiling friendly gentlemen who was generous to charities and always with a new attractive girl on his arm. She had been shocked to discover that in private he was withdrawn and a shade grumpy and often given to long periods of talking to no one else but his butler who was a kind old man by the name of Alfred.

Alfred was quite often the only other person she spoke to for days at a time and was always ready with words of comfort when Starfire was feeling particularly lonely. And it was quite often she felt lonely.

Eight months ago she had arrived in Gotham City with Robin following his possession by Vengeance, a demonic entity summoned by Slade to destroy them. Robin had said that he was going home and wanted Starfire to come with him so she had followed her boy to his home. Raven had come with them as well but she had insisted upon checking in to a hotel as soon as they arrived in the city. After that they had seen her only once when Robin set her up in an apartment in the city. But that was just Raven, it was her way.

Upon arrival in Gotham Robin had ridden his R-Cycle to the legendary Bat Cave and had informed Starfire that this was his home. Starfire had expected an apartment or maybe a quiet house in the suburbs but to find an enormous dank cave filled with Bats and seemingly more computers and technology than Titans Tower was certainly a shock. What was even more of a shock was who was waiting there for them.

The Batman.

An imposing figure dressed from head to toe in a nightmarish costume of blacks and greys stylised to give the appearance of an enormous Bat. A pointy eared cowl held two white eyes that seemed to glow with menace and around him the air crackled with fear. He greeted Robin in a stiff but concerned manner and only once acknowledged Starfire when Robin referred to her as his friend. The Batman regarded her with a narrow eyed look that seemed to comprehend the connotation of the word "Friend" in Robin's speech. The next hour passed in a blur as Starfire quickly was brought into Robin's most inner circle. She had already learned his real name, Tim Drake, during a conversation following Robin's return to her after the Vengeance incident but he filled her in quickly on the rest of his life. She learned of his childhood here in Gotham city, how his mother had died when he was very young leaving him in the care of his father; a man named "Shifty" Drake. It was however a time that was cut short by the criminal Two-Face who killed his father and Tim was left on his own but was rescued by the Batman and became Robin.

The Batman was a different story altogether. He grudgingly permitted Robin, she still found it strange to call him Tim, to reveal his identity to her but even then it was only to explain where her accommodations would be.

Presently Starfire was waiting in the main living room for Robin to return from his patrol of the city. He never allowed her to join him as he viewed it important that the Teen Titans not be seen for a while. Following the Vengeance affair the press had had a lot of questions for them and they were not in the public's good books. The case clock that served as the door to the Bat Cave opened and Robin emerged. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and track pants and was towel drying his hair ,so it had that scruffy look that Starfire absolutely, adored but most importantly he had no mask on. It had taken a while to explain to Starfire that Tim Drake didn't wear a mask and Star' was still having difficulty separating the person from the persona. "Robin, you have returned from your adventuring," she said leaping off the couch and giving him a big hug followed by a long kiss "is everything harmonious in the city?". Robin smiled at her,

"Everything is fine K'ory, and it's Tim now" he pointed to his naked face "no mask means I'm not Robin just now"

"I apologise," said Starfire "I am still not used to seeing Tim very often. This is the first time this week you have emerged from the Cave of Bats". Robin grinned at the fitting description of the Batcave, Bruce never seemed to want to do anything about them. "We've had a lot of activity recently, The Penguin has acquiring a lot of equipment from high end labs in the city. So far he's hit Starlabs, Wayne-Tech, and the University" Robin let go of Starfire and walked towards the fireplace staring deep into the flames. "Bruce thinks he's setting up some kind of lab of his own in the city, for what he isn't sure, but I think he's moving them for someone" he picked up the poker and stabbed at the fire "the Penguin doesn't often work alone, he's usually a go between for more dangerous criminals but he always has an angle, an edge that we don't see and that worries me". Starfire walked up behind him and began to rub his shoulders,

"You should not worry so much, Tim it is not good for you. I recommend that we go to bed, it will be for the best". Robin spun round and raised an eyebrow,

"Go to bed, you say?" there was a devilish glint in his eye but it was good humoured and he was grinning widely. Starfire poked him in the chest playfully "Mister Bruce is away for the evening and only Alfred is here in the Manor". Bruce didn't really approve of the two of them dating and did his best to endure that they spent as little time together as he could arrange but Alfred constantly foiled his master's schemes as he was perhaps the only person who Bruce could not be angry with.

With that Robin and Starfire retired to Robin's room for the evening. Almost unnoticed as he dusted a bookcase, a seemingly endless activity in the Manor, Alfred watched them climb the staircase hand in hand and chuckled to himself "Teenagers"

At about the same time Raven was sitting in her room reading some dry textbook with her mind wandering. She thought of her days with the Titans which she hadn't thought about in weeks, that article in the magazine must have jarred something loose. Sighing she put down her book and sought out the magazine that contained the article on Robin with curiosity and nostalgia driving her search. Eventually she found it beside her room mate Valerie who was snoring on the couch but amazingly still grasping her mug of tea firmly. Raven retreated to her bedroom to read the article entitled; "_Robin; Boy Wonder or Mystery Man?_". The leading page was a full page photograph of Robin leaning on his R Cycle and Raven noticed that both had undergone a few changes. Robin looked thinner, if it was possible, and had a more aggressive stance than he normally had. His Robin suit had undergone a dramatic change as it was now almost all black with a dull red R on his left breast. His cape was longer, almost the same length as Batman's but lined with a dull, dirty red fabric and his utility belt was the same colour. Even his mask looked leaner and more aggressive and the R Cycle followed the same colour scheme. Raven took in the photograph and thought her friend's new look had more in common with his other alter ego; Red X. Red X was a ruthless thief capable of anything with no consideration for anybody. She wondered how much his experience with Vengeance had affected him. The article itself was a bog standard interview, Raven had given a few herself over the years to various magazines and newspapers, mostly concerned with his new look and briefly touched upon his activities with the Teen Titans.

Interviewer; "So Robin, why the new look, red not your colour any more?"

Robin; "It was just time for a change, can't be a _boy _wonder for ever so it was just time to grow up"

Interviewer; "Does this mean your time with the Teen Titans is over, they haven't been seen for a few months now"

Robin; "Who is to say, I can't split my time between Jump and Gotham forever so I had to choose where to devote my full attention. For now it's Gotham but who's to say the Teen Titans won't reform it may just require the right circumstances"

Raven rolled her eyes, he was talking about what they did like it was some rock band who'd split up. But that was how it felt, a few good years packed with hits and a tragic break up caused by inner tensions and conflicting egos. And now they were scattered and in hiding, Starfire was with Robin, Raven felt a little frown come on when she thought of the two of them but shook it off. Who only knew where Cyborg and Beast Boy were, the odd report in the paper and posting on a website threw up clues as to where they might be. An odd shadow of something fell on heart when she thought of Beast Boy and she had no idea why. He was annoying, childish, crude, only interested in himself and was never content unless he was irritating her. Yet for all that she found herself missing the little squirt. Slowly she fell asleep with her arm wrapped round her third pillow like a huge teddy bear never admitting to imagining it was Robin, or Beast Boy.

On the far away Island of Nebulous in the south pacific Teri was walking through the thick tropical forest that separated her home from the beach. She enjoyed her new life here on the island although she hardly thought of it as new as it was really the only life she had actually known. The Professor had told her that she was the only survivor of a terrible disease on a neighbouring island and had been brought to him to be cured. Well, cured she had been but her memory was gone. She didn't know a thing about her past or even remember her parents faces let alone who she had been before she had awoken here in the Professor's private hospital.

In appearance Teri was about seventeen but she couldn't be certain as to her actual age with big curious blue eyes and straw blonde hair that, despite her best efforts, just fell lifelessly about her shoulders and just couldn't do anything with. She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and sandals with a forest green t-shirt and a wide brimmed hat to keep the bright sun of her head. She also had a strong aroma of sun block and insect repellent about her owing to her extremely pale skin and allergies, in a corner of her mind she wondered how someone like her survived on a tropical island all their life?

Maybe she had been a tourist; the daughter of a wealthy family who owned property on the island and heiress to a vast fortune. Perhaps she was royalty, a missing princess or something. She liked to imagine what her life had been like before her illness, it kept her amused when she was feeling lonely.

Eventually she came to the edge of the thick forest and arrived at a white sandy beach that surrounded a lagoon with deep sapphire coloured water. She enjoyed spending time here at the lagoon as it calmed her mind and although she never noticed was the only time that the island was free of the minor tremors that seemed to shake it constantly.

Teri made her way down to the lone deck chair at the lagoons shore and sat down and looked out over the flat water. She always liked it when it mirrored the sky, and, if you looked at it for long enough, you could almost convince yourself that there was no up or down and you were alone in an endless horizon. Today however her tranquillity was shattered by a sudden splash and a series of ripples that distorted the reflection on the water and made it bounce up and down. Turning her head she saw a young man towelling off his hair and toss the towel back onto the sand obviously having just emerged from the lagoon. Teri was going to ask him what he was doing here but the words were suddenly caught in her throat. The appearance of the young man was startling, not just his being there but his physical appearance as well. He was just under average height with a lean athletic frame and short hair and dressed in a pair of black board shorts, not exactly unattractive and there were only three things wrong with how he looked. One; a single tooth protruded from his lower lip and almost looked like a fang. Two; his ears were definitely pointed and elf like. Three; he was from head to toe, hair and all, bright green.

Teri screamed and the boy looked round suddenly startled. She fell out of the chair and scrambled to her feet still screaming. The boy dropped his towel and stared at her, his green eyes full of a mixture of fear and fierce curiosity. The ground beneath them began to shake violently and crack, and Teri became aware of another sound; a loud crashing in the jungle that seemed to be headed this way. The green boy moved towards her and said "How?" but Teri turned and ran as fast as she could into the forest and back towards her home.

In a gleam of silver and a blur of speed Cyborg burst out of the tree line and stampeded towards Beast Boy who was on his knees in the white sand. As the much larger youth approached he noticed the shocked look on his friend's face. "Gar, what's wrong?" he asked "what's with all that earthquake we just had?". Beast boy just stared straight ahead at the spot where the girl he had just seen had run into the forest. He couldn't believe it. "I saw her Vic, I don't know how but she was here" Beast Boy's voice had a far away quality to it like his mind was somewhere else. "Who was here? Who did you see?" Cyborg was confused, he hadn't seen anyone, as far as he knew they was no one for miles around them. Beast Boy turned to look at him and said one word, an impossible word, the name of someone who just couldn't possibly have been there. He said "Terra!"

Author note; My new story, yay! I'm back with a bigger budget and a dump truck of new ideas. This is gonna be like a big Hollywood blockbuster with more action and exotic locations than my last story that felt like an indie flick and more centred on what the characters were feeling. Picture a James Bond movie mixed with the second half of The Incredibles but with a dark twist. It's gonna centre more on Cyborg and Beast Boy as I used Raven, Robin and Starfire in my last story. The chapters won't be as long as the last one but that means I'll be updating more often with the chapters being about a specific event in the story rather than a general idea or theme like the last one. It's still set between series two and three as I haven't seen all of series three yet and I hear crazy stories about a season four too that's already aired in the states. I would recommend that you read my first story; Robin Reborn as it sets up a few things that are gonna happen in this story. And yes, I am going to redo the ending as I'm not happy with it I was just impatient to get it finished.

I take it you can figure out that things have moved on a bit from the last story, Raven is now in school, Robin and Starfire are in a serious relationship and Cyborg and Beast Boy are travelling the world. But I can tell what the one question you all have is; "HOW THE HELL IS TERRA IN THIS, SHE'S DEAD!" this will all be explained in the chapters to come, but rest assured it's not just to confuse Beast Boy romantically.

KEY NOTE; the word Maniaca in the title is pronounced MAN-EYE-I-KA. Like maniacal as in "he laughed maniacally at the heroes suffering", it's just a comic booky name that I thought up and liked for a mad scientist.

**COMING SOON TO AN AUTHOR ALERT NEAR YOU**; Chapter 2; Terra Firma


	2. Terra firma

Teen Titans; the island of doctor maniaca

Chapter Two: Terra Firma

Disclaimer; I own nothing! Nothing do to with this story- don't sue me, I have no money.

The science wing of the GCU had been sealed off by the city's police and every doorway and window on the ground floor was a spider web of the bright black and yellow crime scene tape that was an all too familiar sight to Gotham's residents. 'Bumblebee tape' they called it, another way for them to make light of the city's almost incurable crime problem.

Raven was making her way to class across the main quad when Valerie came running up to her dragging a tall dark haired boy behind her. Raven had her hat pulled down so far that it almost covered her eyes so she couldn't really see his face as he was taller than Val. 'Great,' thought Raven 'Val wants to show off another stupid boyfriend'. She continued stomping across the quad but it was only when Valerie called out her name that she looked up. "Hey, Rach!" her friend shouted dressed today in a blue hoody and what looked to be a ball gown underneath it, black of course. Her make up as usual did her no favours. Raven stopped and looked at her friend "Yeah, Val? What's up?" replied Raven. "Nothin' much, hey this guy says he's looking for you, dunno who he is but he sure is cute don't you think?" Val turned and pointed at the tall thin dark haired boy who was hanging around out of earshot and staring at the floor scratching at the back of his head. "It's okay Val, I know him" said Raven and asked her friend to get the handouts for her. Val skipped off but as she went whispered to Raven "Make sure and tell me all the juicy details later," she turned to the boy and waved "see ya!" Raven turned to look at the boy who now raised his head and spoke "Been a long time Rae, how you been?"

"It certainly has, Tim," said Raven and stifled a giggle,

"What, something funny?"

"I just can't get over that your name is Tim, the boy wonder's name is Timothy" Raven giggled again.

"Yeah, well keep your voice down, Rachel" Tim sounded annoyed.

"At least mine sounds kinda right, I look like a Rachel. You don't suit Tim at all," Raven still had the grin on her face "what brings you here then, the robbery? I thought that one of you might take a look at it, who was involved?". Robin jerked his head signalling Raven to walk with him,

"It was the Penguin," said Robin in an offhand manner "do you wanna get a cup of coffee, Rae? The robbery isn't why I'm here."

"Well why are you here?" asked Raven. Robin visibly stiffened as he said

"Titan business". Ravens eyes widened for a second and she gasped, was he serious?

"What do you mean?". Robin ushered her into the Campus café and they sat a table in the back, Raven almost blushed when Robin sat down a little too closely next to her. "Pretend that we're a couple talking," Robin whispered "it'll look right". Raven nodded silently. Robin leaned in closer to her,

"This morning the JLA watchtower picked up an energy signature from an island in the south pacific. It went right off the chart for about a second and then was gone."

"What kind of energy was it?" Raven was secretly enjoying being this close to Robin. He looked right into her eyes and for a fraction of a second and Raven was sure Robin could see how excited and scared she was by his closeness. "Geokinetic!" his voice was barely above a whisper and Raven felt any enjoyment of the moment she was feeling evaporate. "But there's only one energy signature on record that the Computer would recognise as Geokinetic," Raven lowered her voice to the barest ghost of a whisper "but it can't be her!". Robin had the same deeply concerned look on his face that Raven guessed she had too and just nodded as he too believed what the report was suggesting was impossible.

The Teen Titans and the Justice League of America had in their possession detailed records of the majority of Metahumans that were known. Every time a new one was discovered the sensors on the watchtower would record their unique energy emissions and dispatch someone to track them down and determine their threat or friendly status. It was like that X-men comic book Beast Boy read. The two organisations shared their information as it tended be the one of the Titans who got sent to find the new Metahuman but one time a Metahuman had found them.

She called herself Terra, an old word for Earth. Her unique abilities had been the power to move the rocks and dirt of the country side around her with just a thought. Although initially undisciplined and lacking focus, her abilities had enormous potential and after a rocky start eventually became a Teen Titan.

But not for long.

From the outset she had been the target of the criminal mastermind known as Slade. Using his persuasive abilities he acquired Terra as his apprentice, his right hand with which to strike at his enemies with those being chiefly the Titans. She was the second Titan to occupy this position, Robin being the first, and still found it difficult to talk about. However, just as Slade had victory in his grasp and the destruction of the Titans seemed imminent, Terra turned. Maybe it was her own sense of good, perhaps it was her feelings towards Beast Boy and she took his words to heart but ultimately Terra was Slade's undoing, for a while. But she paid the price for her defiance of her master and was destroyed by her own power.

Terra was dead.

Raven studied the further detail of the report and found that from the vaults of her memory she was recognising details on the energy reading of Terra's power. She looked up into the soft Brown eyes of Tim, the boy she knew as Robin, with a look of mixed excitement and fear. "Is is suggesting what I think it's suggesting?" said Raven raising a perfect eyebrow. Tim merely nodded and lowered his gaze to stare at the table. "It's suggesting either of two things," he said "that either something with a Geokinetic energy reading identical to Terra is on that island or the impossible has happened". Raven put her hand on his in a reassuring gesture and even after all this time took a guilty pleasure in doing so. "Tim, it's not possible, we were there when she died"

"Even so, Slade survived that day"

"Slade wasn't turned to stone," Raven lowered her voice to a whisper "we keep her in the damn basement, Robin she's dead. I know we said we'd find a cure one day but we haven't yet and no one but the Teen Titans can get into the Vault". Tim still stared at the table with a dark look in his eyes and Raven could see the change in him; no longer was he Tim Drake but now he was Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. "I know," he said "but we have to investigate this, Terra's power would be extremely dangerous in the wrongs hands, was dangerous in the wrong hands thanks to Slade and I'm not going to let it happen again," Robin's knuckles whitened as he clenched his fist "I'm not having another Titan used for evil, not again".

Raven squeezed his hand with hers until his fist unclenched and their fingers intertwined and the dark look vanished from his eyes. Slowly she watched Robin melt back into Tim but all the while kept gripping his hand, she knew quite well how he felt about members of the Titans being used in such a way. Twice Robin had been used against his own team by Slade who had also placed his spy in the form of Terra amongst them. But with Terra it was different, she was just a scared kid who didn't want to be hated for what she could do. Both the Titans and Slade had offered her control over abilities but ultimately her fear had lead to her choosing the quick and easy path to control of her power and ultimately to her death.

"How are we going to get there," asked Raven "the T-sub suddenly being spotted again would only raise questions, a Justice League Javelin would hardly be inconspicuous now would it, how, Tim, how do we get there?" she released her grip on his hand "And I have my degree to think about now, and my room mate would only ask even more questions if I were to disappear after a conversation with a guy that just breezed into my life". Raven stood up to make for the door "It's tempting, Tim, it really is, but I just can't drop everything to play hero like you can. I like being normal, for a change. Rachel has a future, she's going to become a Doctor of Psychology with a nice office. And, maybe, one day have a husband and kids and live in a world where two days can go by without the world being in jeopardy". Tim stood up to stop her leaving,

"So you're just going to walk out of here and forget about everything the Titans were, everything we did?" he said as Raven's shoulders sagged and she gave sigh "I wouldn't want to forget about the Titans, or anything we did, but maybe it isn't the only thing I could do with my life". Tim just looked at her in disbelief, he was so sure she would have wanted to help but instead she was talking about nice offices and husbands. "What happened to you Rae?" he asked placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled weakly " Gotta grow up sometime, cant be a Teen Titan forever," she brushed his hands off her shoulders and kissed him once on the cheek "Good luck with whatever is on that island," and as she walked past him said "and I liked the red suit better".

Thousands of miles away in a cave a similar conversation was taking place. "I'm telling you it was her!" Beast Boy was getting frustrated, they had been talking for hours and had been going round in circles. "And I'm saying it's not possible," said Cyborg calmly "you were there when she died, you visited her grave everyday for a year, Terra is now in the Vault back at the Tower. Admit it, it couldn't be her!". Beast Boy turned to look at his friend again and threw his hands up in a gesture of frustration "Explain the earthquake when she got scared, when she saw me?"

"This whole island has been shaking ever since we got here, there is no connection between that and your mystery girl"

"Explain how she could look just like Terra then, huh?" Beast Boy's voice seemed to be pleading with his friend to believe him.

"We only have your description of her to go on and it was only," Cyborg pressed a button on his arm panel and said "she looked just like Terra, dude!" his voice had changed to sound just like Beast Boy.

"You know I hate it when you do that" grumbled Beast Boy.

"Oh come on," Cyborg still sounded like his friend "It's way funny. I could kill for a burger, pass that Bacon my way, could you melt cheese on that?" Cyborg was bent double with laughter "Aha," he sighed with his own voice "I kill me!"

"look don't joke about it, it was her" Beast Boy was now facing the cave wall "I couldn't forget her face, ever" Cyborg stood up and placed his huge steel hands on his tiny friend's shoulders,

"Gar', after she died you kept seeing her everywhere. Remember how often we chased you 'cause you were so convinced you saw her in the street" Cyborg took a deep breath "remember what it was like when you finally accepted that she was dead and couldn't come back. I don't want to go through that again". Beast Boy turned to look at his friend "It was her, Vic. I don't now how but it was her, I wanted to do something but when she screamed I froze"

"Don't worry man, we'll solve this" Cyborg left his friend to his own thoughts and headed out into the jungle.

Deep underground a lone figure stood at a computer console. He was dressed in the classic combination of dark blue scrubs with a brilliantly white lab coat over them and embroidered upon it in royal blue thread was simply "Doctor". He typed a few commands into the console and what seemed like the far wall of the room lit up as a massive screen with multiple windows showing various views of the island. From the light of the screen more details of the room were visible; the console stood on a circular platform at the end of long walkway suspended above the floor of the room by mysterious means. The walkway and the platform had no guard rail along their edge and beyond them was simply a long drop into a river of infernally red lava that flowed far below. The Doctor thought it was a nice touch, it gave anyone who entered the room the impression that he wasn't messing around.

The Doctor himself was either a young man who had suffered much at the stresses of the world or an old man who had led a trouble free life. His age was indeterminate and could have been a young looking fifty or an old looking thirty. He was what would be considered quite handsome and hand am air of worldly knowledge about him that was only marred by two things. His right eye wasn't the deep sea blue of his left and instead was a raised metal ring that stuck out of the socket with a fiery red lens as it's replacement. Also his left hand was a metal and Perspex mirror of his right hand that glowed with blue circuitry through its see through coating and clicked as the steel digits moved across the console.

His human eye subtly flicked between all of the windows on the screen as he searched for what he was looking for. Eventually he found it, a young blonde girl tearing through the jungle at a terrified speed as she ran away from what? He checked the camera windows for the surrounding area, there was nothing there. He frowned in concentration and selected the beach camera, he knew she liked to go there at this time of day, and using a jog-dial wound the image back several minutes. Seeing the image the camera had captured he quickly hit the freeze button and zoomed in on a portion of the image that had suddenly grabbed his attention and answered his question. A young man stood on the beach drying his hair with a towel and wore only black board shorts and he was looking at looking at Teri with a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. A young man being at the beach wouldn't have scared her, a few often came over from the large tourist resort the island also had but it was his physical appearance that concerned him. He was from head to toe, hair and all, bright green.

The Doctor's human eye narrowed and the red light in his robotic one brightened, "Interesting" he whispered to himself.

Arriving back at her apartment alone, Raven went straight to the kitchen and began making herself a pot of her favourite tea. In a sweep of badly dyed skirts Valerie breezed into the small kitchen "I thought I heard you come in," she said leaning against the fridge "so who was he then? Do I get to know or are you gonna keep him all for yourself?" Valerie was grinning widely at the hope that her friend might finally get a boyfriend. "He was a friend from the old days," Raven stated flatly "he was just dropping by to say hi".

"You sure he's," Valerie formed quotation marks with her fingers on either side of her head "just a friend. There was a little something' in the air when I left you two," Valerie nudged Raven in the side and walked past her to get a cup for herself "and what are the 'old days', like, High School?". Raven grinned slightly,

"You could say that, it was sort of like that" Raven had prepared for any probing of her past "I was home schooled, as you know, and he was my neighbour and sort of my best friend too". Valerie put on a faux serious expression "Little Miss Mysterious opens up a little, so what's his name?"

"Tim, Tim Drake"

"Tim," Valerie mulled it over for a few seconds "didn't strike me as a Tim, but hey, we can't pick out names now can we"

"We sure can't" inside Raven the personae of Rachel Roth squirmed a little.

"So, if you're just friends then do you have his number?" asked Valerie "or does he already have a girlfriend?". Raven put her tea down and smiled a little,

"Sorry Val, he's involved, big time" Raven walked out of the kitchen towards her room. Behind her she heard Valerie shouting, "You could give me his number anyway, you know, just in case". With a wry smile she shut the door of her room and slowly turned the lock so her room mate wouldn't hear it.

With a sigh she sat on her bed and looked at the huge black trunk that sat at it's foot. She knew she couldn't fight the impulse to open so she didn't' bother. Standing up she flicked her hand in it's direction and the two catches became surrounded with a black aura and snapped open, unnecessary, but she enjoyed using her powers as a reminder that her past wasn't some kind of dream. On top of the trunk's contents was a heavy dark blue cloak, Raven picked it up and looked at it half expecting to see the hood filled with her own face mocking her for turning down Robin's offer to investigate this energy signature. She threw the cloak onto the bed and pulled out a one piece long sleeved body suit, a little revealing but she never wore it just by itself. The final item she dredged from the trunk's contents was bright yellow circle of hardwearing plastic that had a few scuffs on it. Raven ran her pale fingers over the scratches and let memories both good and bad flood over her. The cover, embossed with huge T logo, flipped open in a clamshell design with a chirping noise, Cyborg's tribute to his favourite boyhood TV show; Star Trek. He and Robin and Beast Boy would argue for hours over which series was best. She missed stuff like that.

The tiny screen on the communicator displayed the same message it was always did when she looked at it these days "Titan Mainframe Offline; Try Again Later" in bright red lettering. Raven packed everything back into the trunk, shut the lid and with another wave of her hand the catches snapped shut.

Sitting alone her thoughts turned to Terra; she couldn't be alive. Raven remembered the great flash of yellow light that had heralded Terra's demise. It felt warm, like sunshine, as it washed over them like a wave and, being the only empath of the group, Raven had sensed in it everything that Terra was; her memories, her feelings about Beast Boy, and a great sadness and shame about what she had helped Slade do but also Joy. Joy for finally having a purpose, a reason, a place to call home, a home to defend, and someone who would be waiting for her one day in this world or the next.

A single tear rolled down Raven's cheek and splashed down onto the bed. That moment had changed everything she thought about Terra, it had even been her idea to eventually bring her remains to the Tower and place them in the Vault with the other past Titans.

She wanted to go with Robin to investigate what was going on, to wear the cloak again and to be Raven again. But it was like she had read somewhere, once you take your first breath it isn't so easy to give life up. She enjoyed her life as Rachel but it lacked something, looking out her window she saw in the sky above Gotham City a great white light with a huge bat symbol at it's centre sweeping the cloudy night sky.

That was the sort of thing she was missing.

Author note; no reviews yet but I'm just getting started, took a while to write this chapter coz I've been working constantly. Gotta make the Benjamin's somehow. Not a lot of action but it's gonna take a while to set up. Raven's doubts about going back to hero work started in my last story and are just about her fears about being stuck as Raven forever, she just wants there to be something else to life, like we all do. Now, I gotta get working on chapter 3. TTFN. 2ndc

**COMING SOON TO AN AUTHOR ALERT NEAR YOU**; Chapter 3; I see green people!


	3. I see green people!

Teen Titans; the island of doctor maniaca

Chapter three: I see Green People!

Disclaimer; I own nothing! Nothing do to with this story- don't sue me, I have no money.

The door behind her slammed shut and she leaned hard against it, Teri had been running for about half an hour solid and her lungs and legs were burning. Her mind was spinning in terror as she struggled to comprehend what she had just seen.

A green boy.

It wasn't possible, people came in a lot of different colours but green, she knew for certain, was not amongst them. Her mind kept flicking back to the look on the boy's face as she fell over screaming and crawled backwards in terror through the sand; he knew her.

It was unmistakeable, he had definitely recognised her and couldn't believe he was looking at her. Teri walked slowly over to her bed in the simple wooden hut that was her home. She had insisted on living alone and the Doctor had let her but he always had someone look in on her everyday and deliver groceries so she wouldn't starve.

Did the strange looking boy really know her, she thought as she sat down, maybe he knew who her family were and who she really was and her last name. Teri always wondered what her last name was and struggled every day to see if she could remember it but every day she failed. Teri now wondered if she would ever see him again, if he was a link to her past then she had to find him. She reached out and pulled a great stuffed animal towards her, an orange and black cat named Garfield, he was her favourite. She had to find him again.

Tim and Bruce sat in the back of the limo as it insinuated itself through the Gotham City traffic on the way to the airport. Starfire was sitting in the front with Alfred and the two of them were talking excitedly about something that neither of them could hear. "K'oriandor gets on well with Alfred, doesn't she?" said Bruce watching Starfire. "Alfred just enjoys having someone around who isn't moody like us" replied Tim. Bruce nodded in silent agreement, over the past few years the two of them had become increasingly similar in temperament. Alfred was at heart a kindly soul who was often, and especially since Tim left, the only person who could bring Bruce, or Batman, out of his dark, suspicious moods.

"Have you thought everything through, you won't have the backup of your team or me this time" Bruce continued to look out of the window at the passing traffic. "I'll have K'ory, that'll be enough" said Tim.

"Will it?" said Bruce " before you had a team of individually skilled specialists now you have only yourself and your girlfriend-"

"You say it like it's a handicap"

"It could be. Why won't you let the league help with this?" Bruce turned to face his protégé "you have no idea what could be going on there"

"Bruce," said Tim "Terra is the Titan's business, and we need to handle this"

"But there is no we, you're only taking K'oriandor for appearances sake. You want this yourself!" Bruce looked at Tim darkly "what is it about this Terra? There are no records of her in your Case Reports of the Titans"

"That's because we didn't want Terra's association with us to ever become public, she damn near destroyed the city and we're not exactly top of the city's Christmas card list as it is". Tim grumbled as he looked out of the window at the passing traffic. "Hero work has it's disadvantages," said Bruce "It took Commissioner Gordon years to realise he couldn't force me out. And, it's only through the Titan's loose affiliation with me through you that the JCPD hasn't shut you down and arrested all of you". Tim snapped his head back to look angrily at Bruce "So should I be grateful that the mighty shadow of the Batman hangs over the Titans? Or is it the oh-so-great Justice League that keeps the cops and the FED's off us. We can take care of ourselves, Bruce!"

"Easy Tim," Bruce was surprised, Tim rarely spoke like that to him, it must have taken something huge to upset in such a way "I know that Terra was Slade's apprentice, don't blame yourself for not being able to save her". Tim's shoulders sagged,

"I just always wonder if I would have ended up like her, if it wasn't for…"

"You're friends?" asked Bruce.

"No," Tim looked at Starfire chattering away with Alfred in the front of the Limo "K'ory" and in his minds eye he saw Starfire glowing a deep orange as billions of Nanoprobes began to tear her apart molecule by molecule. In his sleep he still saw her face locked in silent agony and the tears running freely down her face.

The Doctors house was a large modern affair that looked more like a small office building than a place someone lived. The interior was all glass and black marble and the front hall lead straight into the main living area that boasted enormous windows offering a view of the bay in which the tourist resort was situated. Tiny pleasure craft zipped around the larger yachts and in between the jet skis and powerboats and further out to sea the large ocean liners wallowed in the deeper waters. Teri stood and watched them as she waited on the Doctor, she liked this room in his house, it felt familiar to her somehow.

The Doctor eventually breezed in and quickly walked over to her and gave an enormous hug "And how is my favourite patient today?" he asked her, his voice radiating warmth and genuine concern for her "you don't visit me as often as you should Teri". Teri returned the hug and smiled back at the Doctor,

"I just have so much to do, you know, with adjusting to life here and trying to regain my memory that I rarely have time for our little visits" she said but that wasn't the truth.

Teri didn't want to tell the Doctor that she often found his appearance frightening, the mechanical hand was bad enough but when it was coupled with the lifeless red light of that eye it was too much for her to take. He did his best to comfort her and tell her that it took some people a long time for them to get used to how he looked, he said himself it had taken years to adjust to his new appearance. He had told Teri that he had been in an accident when he was conducting an experiment years ago and had been saved by his partner and that if it were not for that man he would have died.

"And what brings you to see me again?" the Doctor asked walking over to a small fridge in the corner of the room and removing a bottle of water from it "it isn't time for your check up this month, is something bothering you?". Teri squirmed a little inside, she wasn't sure she should tell the Doctor about the boy but he was the only link to her past and the Doctor was the only person she knew with the resources to help her find him. She took a deep breath and said "I saw someone out by the lake, someone not like anyone I've ever seen before," the Doctor watched her intently listening with sharp interest " It was a boy, probably about my age, but he was the wrong colour"

"Now Teri," the Doctor glowered darkly "I don't take kindly to that kind of comment!"

"No Doctor," Teri smiled nervously tucking her blonde hair behind her ear "he was green, bright green. Like a Martian in one of those old stories. Do you know who he was?" The look in her eyes shocked the Doctor severely, he had never seen her look so open and hungry for truth before. He wondered if she suspected this green boy had a link to her past. "Teri, I have no idea who he was but I'll have some people search the area you saw this boy in. Now run down to the kitchen and Ralph will make you whatever you want" he grinned at her and took a drink of his water. Teri smiled back,

"Okay Doctor, sorry" she turned and walked out of the huge room toward the distant corner of the house that held the kitchen. The Doctor turned to look out of the window and pulled a slim black cell phone out of his pocket. He pressed the speed dial button for the kitchen, "Ralph," he said "Teri's coming down for a spot of lunch, yes I know it's not Sunday, Could you double the usual dose please? Thank you, Ralph" he ended the call and pushed another speed dial. "Have you foundhim yet?" he asked "If it's who I think it is then he won't be alone, just find him quickly before anymore of them show up, we've stayed hidden from even the Justice League for this long I don't want the Teen Titans interfering this close to the end of the project!". He clicked the phone shut and followed Teri to the Kitchen.

Tim knew this was going to be awkward. When he had told K'ory that they would be flying to this island she had asked if he could stand to be carried for that length of time. It taken a while to explain it to her that they would not be flying as they knew it but in an aeroplane.

"We will be flying?"

"Yes, K'ory!"

"In a plane of the air?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"But we will be sitting down?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"Sitting down and still flying?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"And we will be in the First Class?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"The First Class has nothing to do with School?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"Yes it does, or yes it does not?"

"Does not K'ory!"

"So we will be sitting down but flying and in a first class that has nothing to do with an education system in a plane of the air and I will not have to carry you but instead the plane of the air will carry us?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"Are you still listening to me Tim?"

"Yes K'ory!"

"I am going to shave my head and leave you to date Alfred now!"

"Yes K'or- what?"

"_TIM_!"

Now they were at the airport and he had managed to deflect all of K'ory's questions and explain away her ability to carry a suitcase even the baggage handler couldn't lift alone. He looked at the man as K'ory ambled off to buy a supply of magazines to read and said "She grew up on a farm". An innocent question about her skin coloration by the check in desk attendant was answered with "She hit the fake tan a little too hard this morning, you know women!" K'ory made a little noise that didn't seemed pleased by all this and scowled at him from behind the enormous pair of dark glassed he had made her wear to conceal her green on green eyes.

They eventually got onto the plane and Starfire still wasn't speaking to him, he guessed she was a little annoyed about the fake tan remark. As the plane took off he fell into a light relaxing sleep and woke up only once before landing as he heard a voice asking "Could I have more of the hot towels please?" and then said "They are most delicious!"

Cyborg was analysing data on the T-car's on board computer and he wasn't liking what he was seeing. The car had an uplink to the mainframe on the JLA Watchtower and he was downloading all the information it had on this island. The only item worth noting had been recorded just a yesterday and it was about an unusual earthquake. The island didn't sit near a fault line or have any active volcanoes but a small earthquake had been detected. This normally wouldn't have intrigued him as he was a man of technology both literally and figuratively and had almost no interest in the natural world. It was the energy spike the sensors had registered that had peaked his curiosity, it had been detected as Metahuman energy and Geokinetic in nature.

Cyborg knew that only one Geokinetic signature had been detected to date and no matter what Beast Boy said it wasn't possible for that one to still be active. He checked the sensor log and ran a comparison check on the new energy reading and the only other Geokinetic reading on file. The computer registered in the positive for a comparable reading. He then asked what the comparability rate was.

100

"That's impossible!" he said but knew that it was only improbable. He had seen too much in his life to call anything impossible, he was travelling with a green changeling, he lived with an alien and a girl who could give Batman a run for his money in the dark and moody stakes but only when Robin was asleep, which he rarely did. People coming back from the dead was almost normal for a guy who saw a mechanic more than a doctor.

Raven lay in bed unable to sleep, she had been like this ever since she had spoken to Robin. What was it about that boy that made her feel this way, all hot and angry and happy and sad at the same time. She thought she was past this, past ridiculous romantic longings for Robin. But was that why she couldn't sleep?

Raven was quite accustomed to living without romance or the closeness of another person but she wasn't quite accustomed to the life she was trying to live now. Raven had never been normal, in Azarath she was feared by her fellow students for being the daughter of Trigon the terrible and had found it difficult to form friendships. When she had come to Earth she had first been rejected by the Justice League as Dr Fate sensed the evil of her father in her. The Titans hadn't exactly warmed to her in the beginning, Beast Boy was annoyed by her, Cyborg just couldn't figure her out, Starfire didn't understand why she didn't want to e best friends, and Robin had just left her alone for the most part.

Now she was trying to blend in and hide part of who she was. It was weird, it was the most normal life she would ever probably have and it didn't feel right to her.

Her alarm clock said it was ten to five in the morning, Raven rolled over and tucked her head under the blanket resolving to just skip class tomorrow, she was never getting to sleep now.

Teri had fallen asleep on the large couch that dominated the main living area of the Doctors house, the medication always made her sleepy . He watched her as she dreamed for a second then turned round and strolled out the room and down a corridor floored with black marble and walled with brushed steel until he came to a door at it its terminus. Itslid to the side to reveal a small elevator large enough only for one person. He stepped inside and was bathed in cool blue light from the neon strips that went round the floor and ceiling and pressed the only button on the panel inside. It wasn't marked as this elevator had only one destination.

There was very little sensation of movement he rocketed down the thirty stories towards his destination, he could almost believe he wasn't moving at all. As the lift door opened the blue light of the interior was dominated by a soft yellow light and the Doctor strode out purposefully into a corridor composed of large hexagonal yellow tiles on the floor, walls and ceiling. He met two heavily armoured soldiers in bright yellow and black power armour with featureless mirrored visors who saluted smartly and chorused; "All Glory to the HIVE!".

Author note; I know I said I'd update more often than the last time but I keep being really busy with stuff. The plot thickens with the Doctor, just who exactly is Teri and why is he drugging her? What is his project? And where did the Geokinetic energy reading come from? I know this might not seem so good just now and this chapter was mainly just filler but we have to get through the next two parts to get to the good stuff.

**COMING SOON TO AN AUTHOR ALERT NEAR YOU**; Chapter 4; There's something about Valerie!


	4. There's something about Rachel

Teen Titans; the island of doctor maniaca

Chapter Four: There's something about Rachel!

Disclaimer; I own nothing! Nothing do to with this story- don't sue me, I have no money.

The air in the jungle surrounding the doctors house was so thick with humidity and the incessant chirping of a million insects that it was oppressive and felt like it was squeezing itself around Beast Boy like the coils of an invisible constricting snake. He was sitting on a huge stout branch about half way up a tree that overlooked the property watching the comings and goings of various people dressed in dark khaki clothing as in twos or by themselves they entered the house, stayed for a few minutes, and then left in a hurry vanishing into the thick jungle. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed as he noticed that they were all carrying rifles.

He studied the layout of the building from his vantage point and was arriving at the conclusion that something was amiss. He knew that the entire island was owned by one man, a professor or something, and although it wasn't entirely unheard of for the incredibly wealthy to own their own island, Lex Luthor owned an entire archipelago, it was for one of this size to privately owned. The house itself was not entirely what he would have expected a man who owned an island the size of Metropolis to live in. It was large alright but it looked a bit too clinical, the exterior was mainly black marble with expansive windows at the rear or the property facing the bay but had tiny oblong windows on his front side set high above the ground. Beast Boy's trained eye could see where the thick metal roller shutters were hidden above the windows and from the width of the rear windows he could tell the walls were about a meter thick and probably reinforced concrete. The window glass itself was about three inches thick and he guessed reinforced again with titanium filaments too small to be seen with the naked eye. Despite the appearance of the place being somewhere between a home and a hospital it was obviously more of a fortress.

Footsteps crunching up the path made him turn round expecting to see another rifle toting henchman of this mysterious professor. Instead he saw conformation that he wasn't deluding himself, it was the girl from earlier. She was walking slowly up the sandy coloured gravel swatting at clouds of insects with her hands and Beast Boy nearly fell of his branch when he saw her. The skin was a little paler and she was maybe an inch or two taller but it was definitely Terra, even down to the little mole on the back of her neck. He watched her open mouthed as she passed right under the branch he was perched on humming a tune under her breath and singing snatches of lyrics. It was 'Naked and Famous' by the Presidents of the USA, his favourite song and one he had taught Terra on one of their unofficial dates when they were just hanging out together. The fact that they held hands the whole time was beside the point.

He watched the girl enter the house and dropped to the ground from his branch quickly morphing into a cat for to land on his feet and then in the blink of an eye into a gecko. He quickly made his way round the side of the house and becoming a cockroach slipped in through a vent and into a room full of air conditioning equipment. There was a ripple of air displacement as he went from the tiny form of the cockroach to his normal human form. He gave a little shiver in the hot dark room, he hated being insects, there was something about having more than four limbs that just left his skin crawling. He remembered spending a few hours on a stakeout as a spider and for about two days after he kept trying to pick up plates or cans of soda with arms he didn't have.

Sweat dripped off his brow and soaked his uniform as he leaned against the wall forming a plan, he was inside now but had no idea of what he was going to do next. Did he just run up to the girl and say; "Hey there, you look identical to my old girlfriend- well she wasn't officially my girlfriend - but it's just uncanny and I was wondering if you knew anything about how or why you do and, well, Terra is that you?". He shook his head, she would think he was insane. He had to find out more about her and her relationship with this professor. He needed a plan and plans weren't his strong suit, he needed Robin.

Unbeknownst to Beast Boy his prayers had been answered as a passenger airliner had touched down at the island's small airport carrying the very thing he wished he had. After disembarking from the plane Tim and K'oriandor found themselves greeted by a smartly dressed young man holding a sign saying 'Mr and Mrs Tim Drake". K'ory looked at the sign with an air of puzzlement as they approached but Tim explained it to her as it was probably a joke from Alfred.

"Hello Mr Drake," said the man lowering the sign "my name is Lucas, I was sent by the Doctor to collect you and take you to the resort". Tim raised an eyebrow suspiciously, a expression he'd picked up subconsciously from Bruce "The Doctor?" he asked "Professor Maniaca? I didn't know he was in this part of the world". Lucas smiled a knowing smile,

"The Doctor owns the entire island, everything you see here was built by the Doctor. May I ask how you know the Doctor, were you a patient of his?". Tim flashed a quick look at K'ory but smiled and replied,

"I met him at a Wayne Enterprises fundraiser, I obviously made an impression".

"Indeed" said Lucas before turning to K'oriandor "May I take your luggage Mrs Drake?". K'ory looked from Lucas to Tim and said "I am not a Mrs Drake, My name is-" but Tim cut her off with,

"K'ory means that she's not Mrs Drake _yet_, we've kept the engagement a secret, you know how it is". Lucas nodded politely as K'ory glared at Tim and began to drag K'ory's suitcase towards the limo that was waiting outside, Tim was impressed as the man barely showed any sign of it being far too heavy. K'ory nudged Tim in the ribs and leaned in close "Why does this young man think I am the Mrs Drake? We have not engaged in a nuptial ceremony!" she whispered.

"Because I think Alfred is playing games with us, I just wonder how this Professor Maniaca knew I was coming here?" Tim whispered back.

"Is there any reason to suspect that this Doctor person is connected with the Terra energy signature?"

"I just don't know," said Tim "but this island is getting more mysterious by the minute". He watched Lucas as red faced he loaded the obscenely heavy suitcase into the car's trunk and thought 'Something doesn't add up here, what does the Doctor want with me after all this time?'

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Be- Smash!

Raven's alarm clock suffered the same fate as it's nineteen predecessors as a black telekinetic aura made it implode and crushed it into a thousand tiny plastic pieces. Seven thirty AM, too damn early for a Saturday but Raven had to study. She'd missed all of yesterdays lectures as she decided to stay in her apartment after a sleepless night and eat ice cream watching Cartoon Network. She didn't know why, she hated cartoons, but suspected it was just so it could be background as her brain freewheeled as it organised all her thoughts together about the last few days.

However today wouldn't bring any talk of strange energy signatures or meetings with faces from the past and would instead merely involve Raven and a library full of books. Deep in her nest of covers and pillows Raven mumbled a few curses at the prospect of spending all day in a library and surprised herself. Normally the solitude that studying brought was enjoyable to her but recently she longed for a bit activity in her life. She blamed Robin, if he hadn't had shown up she would have been fine.

Reluctantly she tossed back the duvet and swung her legs out onto the floor. Still in a state of not being quite awake yet Raven made her way to the kitchen. The door to her room swung open and unnoticed by Raven she floated a few inches above the ground as she went about the business of making her morning tea. Cupboards opened of their own accord, a mug floated down to beside the kettle as well as a teaspoon that zipped out of a drawer and landed in the mug with a crisp tinkle. The radio flicked on by itself and tuned in to the college radio station filling the small room with the new Weezer single. A loaf of bread gave off two perfect slices that floated into the toaster and a jar of jam and a knife landed beside a plate that was still settling down on the worktop making little _roin-roin-roin _noises as it spun to a stop.

All this happened while Raven had her eyes shut yawning uncontrollably for a good minute and a half. She stopped and reached out absent mindedly to grab a glass of orange juice that was floating in front of her at chest height. Slitting down on a stool at the worktop she had a mouthful of the juice before looking up at the kitchen where everything she needed for breakfast was laid out for her. She rubbed her eyes with her hand and muttered "Not again"

Valerie came stumbling through ten minutes later in a knee length t-shirt that was red with the words "Grandville High" on it in white. "What's all the noise about, Rach?" she yawned "it's Saturday!"

"Oh," said Raven "sorry Val, didn't think you'd be in what with the Triple Omega Kegger last night". Valerie waved her hands a little bit "It wasn't that good, the band didn't show up and they only had the one keg. Have you seen the remote?" Raven looked under a magazine on the counter,

"It's over here" she said throwing it to Valerie who had stopped and was staring and pointing at Raven's mug of tea. "Is that tea stirring itself?" she said frowning in confusion. Raven blinked and behind her the spoon stopped moving . "Could have sworn it was" mumbled Valerie as she flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.

Raven quietly got showered, dressed and left for the library all the time thinking that that had been too close a call.

In the form of fly Beast Boy had managed to explore the entire house and was presently sitting behind a fruit bowl watching the mysterious girl eat lunch. From listening to her conversation with the chef he had learned that her name was Teri, a similarity that peaked his curiosity, and that she was a patient of some kind under the care of 'The Doctor'. The chef, who was named Ralph, had put an inordinate amount of dressing on the salad she had with cheeseburger, as a vegetarian Beast Boy noticed such things. And with every mouthful, especially of the salad, Teri was becoming more and more tired and drowsy until she lurched off towards the main living area of the house and curled up into a ball and fell asleep on the couch.

He flew after her and settled down onto the wall to watch her and noticed the other person in the room. A tall man probably approaching middle age dressed like a scientist with a cybernetic left hand and right eye that reminded Beast Boy of Cyborg's technology. He turned and walked down a small corridor towards a lift. Zipping after him Beast Boy landed on his shoulder and hitched a ride with him to find out more about this man who must be the Doctor that Teri had spoken of.

After a few minutes the elevator was flooded with dull yellow light and Beast Boy heard something he wished he hadn't; two voices in unison saying "All Glory to the HIVE!". Who was this guy?

Tim and K'ory had finally checked into the hotel resort and right now were standing on the balcony of their room. The room was a large affair with an enormous four poster bed made from a dark highly lacquered perfumed wood and white walls that made the place seem bright and clean. Tim had his arms round K'ory's stomach and she was leaning into his shoulder as they looked out over the expansive bay. "It is truly glorious," said K'ory "On Tamerran we have no places like this since the war with the Gordanians, it is a paradise!". Tim held her a little tighter and said,

"Anything for my Princess" and K'ory melted a little bit in his arms.

Tim was actually impressed with the room as it was well above what he had paid for, a gift from the Doctor no doubt. He was wondering how long it would be before he had to meet the Doctor again but that was answered when a Bellhop brought up an invitation to a function the Doctor was holding that night in the Hotel Ballroom.

It was a few hours till the function so Tim left K'ory to unpack her case and decided to explore. The hotel complex itself was made up of a scattering of individual buildings that housed four suites each surrounded by thick jungle. He made his way down a white slabbed path towards the main complex which was constructed like a renaissance French palace. He had even heard it had been a country house in France that the Doctor had paid to have moved here stone by stone. It rose against the jungle in an odd juxtaposition of an ancient civilised culture and feral nature and was filled with bustling staff members and bored looking tourists.

Tim negotiated his way around the building with its enormous marble reception area with its foyer running the entire width of the house so the main doors connected with the pool area to the rear of the building. Two staircases wide enough to accommodate the largest line up of top hatted and cane spinning dancers imaginable swept up on either side of the huge circular reception desk to a second level that held the main restaurant for the building. The tables sat on a sectioned floor that was all mirrored glass to those below and see through to those dining giving the impression of the tables floating in mid air. The rear pool area itself was the typical scattering of pools and sunbeds and whirlpool Jacuzzis, Tim did notice that the Jacuzzis were slightly hexagonal shaped but didn't know why that was significant.

He had no exact idea what he was looking for but he was hoping to find something that wasn't quite right with the place, some clue to a dark intention or purpose of the place. He'd researched the building itself and the original structure in France had been home to an ordinary family or aristocrats before the revolution and had never been used for anything untoward or slightly unsavoury. There was just nothing to find.

The only wild card he had found in the deck so far was Professor Maniaca's involvement with this island. There were no records of the island being privately owned and each of the resorts had been constructed by separate competing companies. The Doctor was hiding something here, Tim knew the man and he was a secretive soul indeed.

Raven was trudging through the rain drenched streets of Gotham city. It was thick heavy rain made oily from its passage through the smog choked city air and she could feel it weighing her down with each drop that landed on her coat and soaked her hair. Her day of studying hadn't gone well at all. All the books she needed had been checked out , the computer network was down so she couldn't even download an e-book copy of what she needed, she'd forgotten her lunch so she was now so hungry she'd even consider eating one of Beast Boy's Tofu burgers, and some stupid bimbo had made an expansive hand gesture as she talked to some other stupid bimbo as they made their way down the stairs and had knocked Raven down the last four steps. In a pile of spilled note paper and pain she had gathered her things up grumbling about something under her breath and had stomped out in a bad mood. Of course the time it took her to tidy up her dropped notes caused her to miss the bus back to her apartment and naturally there wouldn't be another one for about an hour so she had decided to start walking.

Then it began raining.

Then the rain got heavier.

And there was thunder too.

So Raven eventually made her way up the stairs to her apartment after dropping her keys in a puddle when she went to unlock the outside door when some idiot bashed into her. Her squelchy footsteps, one of her boots had a hole in the sole, echoed off the stone walls as she quietly fumed inside about her day.

Stupid Library!

Stupid Computers!

Stupid damn bimbos!

Stupid Buses!

Damn Rain!

Rude Idiots!

Raven couldn't see it but the whites of her eyes had a soft red glow about them that rose and fell in time with her angry pulse and she was leaving a slight trail of steam. Eventually she opened the door to her apartment and went inside to find Valerie still lying on the couch where she had left her and still in her Grandville High T-shirt. "Hey Rach'" she said not looking up "how's your day been? Did you know it was a DR Phil marathon on the talk show channel today?". Raven tossed her book bag into a corner of the room and flopped down into the one chair in Valerie's field of vision "Lousy," she said exhaling heavily as she sat down "not much else to it. Have you moved today at all?"

"Nope, well, I peed now and again but apart from that not at all," she looked at Raven grinning and then back to the TV but did a double take and looked back at Raven. "Rach, how'd you get home?" she asked.

"I walked, why? Can't you tell!" replied Raven dryly.

"No," said Valerie "your completely dry" she was looking confused for the second time today. Raven ran her hand through her hair before saying "Must've got lucky I guess"

With his unknown passenger hiding in some corner watching the proceedings the Doctor strode into main command area of his HIVE fortress. It was a three level affair with the top level being given over to a throne like chair which he flopped down into. The second level had a large curved computer console that three technicians sat at crunching endless data that they had fed to them from various sensors on the lower level that was a massive lab where scientists scuttled back and forth between experiments like frightened insects.

A young man in a black business suit appeared by the Doctors side. "Mr Drake has checked into the resort," he said in a cold voice "The Tamerranian is with him. Do you think they suspect anything?". The Doctor stared down at the lowest level watching the activity of his drones "We detected no transmissions to or from Titan's Tower or a Javelin launch from the Watchtower so we cant say anything at this time" said the Doctor. The young man frowned, "Beast Boy, and most likely Cyborg too, are on the island," he said "we can't write-off the appearance of Robin and Starfire as well as coincidence".

"But there were no transmissions on Titan frequencies," The Doctor turned for the first time to look at his partner in conversation "Lucas, they could just be on vacation!"

"Or they could be here to stop us" Lucas looked extremely angry "I could have my men eliminate them while they sleep, it would be easy". The Doctor snorted and shot Lucas a sharp look,

"The best of the HIVE academy couldn't kill them, even Slade couldn't take them out so what gives you the idea that you," he stood up "and your squad of overpaid gorillas could even make them break a sweat?". The Doctor looked Lucas straight in the eyes "Your contribution to this project has not been forgotten but until I suspect that Mr Drake is going to move against us," he said "which given our history I doubt he will, that he remain free to go about his business on the island"

"And what of the girl?" asked Lucas.

"Princess K'oriandor will not be a problem," the Doctor sat down again "she's no Supergirl! If we need to eliminate her then I don't foresee it as being a problem". Lucas bowed his head almost imperceptibly,

"As you wish Doctor".

"Besides," said the Doctor "they will both be at the reception at the Hotel this evening, they will be easy to keep track of"

Having heard enough Beast Boy buzzed off until he found his way into an empty locker room. Robin and Starfire were here on the island too, this was getting weird.

First a Terra look-alike shows up out of the blue, then Robin and Star' are here, the only one missing from the party was Raven. All the Titans were becoming drawn to this island it seemed. He reverted back to his human form and hid in a corner as he processed what was going on here. This Doctor was involved in some kind of project for the HIVE society, it apparently involved Terra but that wasn't possible, Robin knew this Doctor somehow, and the Doctor knew who the Titans really were it would seem and also that himself and Cyborg were on the island. He had to explore this facility and report back to Cyborg what was happening.

Back in his fly form he flew down an air duct and out into a typical Hive training area where black and yellow armoured troopers were engaged in acrobatic practice routines and sparring, This led to a long corridor that held a series of workshops where large Perspex containers were being fitted into metal cradles with a lot of electronics attached to them. He didn't really know what was going on but continued on down the corridor towards the door at it's end. What he found there was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen.

Author note; Yes I changed the title, I know. I just couldn't think up a good enough story line with Valerie. The point was that Valerie is starting to notice odd things about Raven and will eventually put it all together and find out who her room mate really is. No Cyborg coz I can never think of anything for him to do except join in the fight scenes. The Tim and K'ory thing is probably getting kinda stale, I don't use there persona names because there not being them just now. I'm fascinated with the separation of an idea of who someone is from the person they really are. The plot regarding this Doctor is getting more complicated, what past dealings does he have with Tim and just who or what is Teri. All this and more will be answered in the next two instalments. oh and could someone please review!

**COMING SOON TO AN AUTHOR ALERT NEAR YOU**; Chapter 5; Conspiracies and Champagne.


End file.
